Assessing the True Value of Battery Storage in Modern Energy Portfolios
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) seem to be the technology of the moment, promising to enable further renewable energy adoption and increase grid resiliency all while garnering attractive financial returns. While this certainly can be true, the hype surrounding batteries and other energy storage technologies has created a gold rush of sorts, prompting many to adopt long-term positions in BESS projects or energy storage service agreements (ESSAs) due to a fear-of-missing-out as much as sound economic reasoning. So how do we determine the true value of battery storage in modern energy portfolios to support a more reasoned decision-making approach?